Heastie: Raise pol pay, sleaze or not

ALBANY — Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said state lawmakers deserve a pay raise regardless of whether they take action to strengthen New York’s ethics laws.

Putting himself at odds with Gov. Cuomo, Heastie (D-Bronx) said in a statement Tuesday that salaries for legislators should be determined by “economic factors” and not demands for new legislation.

The statement comes two days after Cuomo administration officials said the governor will not support a legislative pay raise unless the Legislature agrees to more comprehensive reforms.

A Cuomo administration spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.